


peaches

by mitsume



Category: Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog
Genre: Comfort, F/M, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-11
Updated: 2018-11-11
Packaged: 2019-08-22 05:25:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 983
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16591658
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mitsume/pseuds/mitsume
Summary: penny has some concerns about her laundry buddy





	peaches

The first time Penny had noticed something was off about Billy, she hadn’t really been paying perfect attention. Before, she hadn’t really thought much of his nervousness. It’d never bothered her, and she did her very best to make Billy feel comfortable around her when they spent time together.  

That one afternoon, they’d both been mid-conversation about her latest petition as she had just finished loading her damp clothes. Without a thought, she’d turned and slammed the dryer closed. Billy had flinched visibly, jumped, really, and she’d seen it. After a short, silent pause that felt like an eternity, he’d looked away, continued the conversation as nothing had happened, and she’d followed his lead. 

She stopped closing the dryer so hard after that. 

\--  


A week or so later, same laundromat, same chore. They were discussing jobs and work, and this time, they were both loading their clothes into the dryer. when the sleeve of Billy’s plain hoodie had fallen a bit and her eyes had immediately been drawn to the state of his somewhat exposed arm.  

She’d seen things like this, during her brief time as a nurse. The splotchy red covering his hand didn‘t seem to be fresh, but it wasn‘t old, either. If she didn’t know better, she would have assumed they were chemical burns, but Billy wasn’t like the frantic professors she’d administered aid to before, he was just — Well, a friend, and it made little sense for him to be handling dangerous chemicals, so she chalked that up to a trick of the light, perhaps. His knuckles were scabbed from old scrapes, and although she couldn’t see all of it, his forearm was sporting a huge bruise, purple and yellow and angry. 

As quickly as it’d fallen, Billy had pulled his sleeve back up, and Penny hadn’t been able to bring herself to say anything, although her heart was still heavy when she’d tried to go to sleep that night. 

\-- 

The final straw, really, was when Billy met her at the laundromat, toting two dishes of frozen yogurt as usual, sporting a swollen black eye. 

Briefly, she attempted to ignore it in an effort to be polite, but it quickly became clear that that was not going to be an option. She gently closed the lid to the washing machine before climbing up there to be next to Billy, who had brought no laundry and seemed to be content just sitting on top of the machines by her. 

Her cup untouched, she quite forwardly decided to turn to face him, reaching out to touch his sleeve. When he turned to look at her, she couldn’t help but wince — It looked worse up close. “Billy, what _happened_ to you?” 

His expression hardened some, and his eyes darted away from Penny’s own, focusing instead on a suddenly-fascinating blemish on the tile floor below. “Nothing. It was an accident,” he mumbled, without a shred of sincerity. 

“It doesn’t look like an accident.” Boldly but still gentle, she stopped her hand from resting on Billy’s sleeve and instead pulled it up a few inches to expose the damage she’d seen a couple weeks ago — Lo and behold, his arms were still home to several large bruises among other older injuries. 

Billy seemed to almost be mesmerized by her close proximity for a moment, but as reality sets in, he yanked his arm back, looking towards the door and for a moment, Penny panicked — If he left, she’s not even certain he’ll ever talk to her again, so she decides it’s all or nothing and she slips her hands into his own, fumbling until her fingers intertwined into his and although he winces — presumably from the pain it causes, his hands were in terrible shape — he stays. 

“Billy, is someone _hurting_ you?” she asked, squeezing his hands just a little, sincere as anything and full of concern. 

Billy paused for a second, met her own eyes with this tender, damaged expression and Penny _swore_ that for just a moment he was considering pouring his heart out and telling her something, but no, he simply breaks into a forced laugh and stares at the half-empty dish he set aside. “It’s not like that. I — got into a fight.” 

New purple on top of the fading yellow told another story. 

“Really,” Billy adds, unconvincing. “You should’ve seen the other guy." 

He clearly wasn’t telling her the truth, and it hurt her, that Billy felt he couldn’t be honest, but irregardless, Penny would not let him walk away this time. “Please let me take you back to my place. I want to put some bandages on these, at least. Please?” 

She felt him relax just slightly, and he nodded, still holding her hands (!) as he sighed, no longer looking as if he was one quick impulse from climbing inside a washing machine himself. 

“Don’t tell anyone.” 

That made her breath catch, and she isn’t quite sure what to say — She wants to protest, she wants to get him help, but she doesn’t want Billy to disappear into thin air. 

Unexpectedly, he lifts his head, giving her the smallest of grins. “I’m going to tell you everything.” He falters slightly. “Just — not yet. But I’ll go back with you.” 

Penny let out the breath she’d been holding in, the tiniest sigh of relief, and smiled.  

Suddenly, one of the nearby washers buzzed loudly, breaking the spell, as Billy flinched yet again and with some hesitation, return his hands to his own pockets.  

It was going to be a lot of work, and they wouldn’t heal quickly, but she would feel a lot better once he was bandaged up and recovering from -- Well, whatever had done this to him. The thought still made her stomach hurt. But, burning quietly within her, was a sharp determination that it would not happen to Billy again, not if she could help it.

**Author's Note:**

> im not completely satisfied with this but it is what it is. i love this movie so much
> 
> i like the idea that billy struggles with more unusual forms of self-harm like with the spork. i headcanon that as things spiral more out of control for him, he probably starts to mix chemicals without his gloves, hence the burns.


End file.
